#A4PaperChallenge: The Internet’s Latest Dumb Trend

I came home from the gym today after dying on the elliptical and killing myself with pull-ups. Not the potty training pull-ups, the kind that you pull yourself up on a bar. I am working up to doing more of these on my own. You know, for when I happen to be on a cliff dangling and need to use my own upper body strength to save my life. I think of these things when I’m falling asleep.

I came home to get on social media and find the latest dumb ‘challenge’ called the #A4PaperChallenge.

Since you are probably unawares of this stupid trend, let me inform you. It started in China where women, girls, females of a diminutive frame stand behind a piece of copy paper, or 8.5×11 regular office paper, to show if they’re skinny enough. “Look, I can hide behind this piece of paper, I’m so skinny!” is basically what they’re showing us.

Paper Thin. Because that’s a thing now. Ugh.#A4PaperChallenge

Since on the Internet, things are separated by seconds and not miles, this trend is finding its way to the States, Europe and God knows wherever else women need to prove themselves and how itty bitty their waists are.

Say it with me, “UGH”.

Enough with the ‘waist training’ and the paper challenges and the thigh gaps, and the concave stomachs.

We are not women in 1850. This isn’t Scarlett O’Hara days of corsets and 18 inch waists. We are more than that!

Thank you Internet for setting positive body image progress back one hundred years. Stop.

You should want a smaller waist for cardiac health, reducing your risk of stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Not for an Internet trend.

Who started this anyway? Some bored office worker? What’s next? The #rulerchallenge?

I hope not. I decided to try out a few of my own random objects around the house.

I would like you to notice that I am mastering #Toasterchallenge

Thank you very much. Now go on with your bad ass selves and change the world without silly vanity trends.

Can I hear an Amen?

#A4PaperChallenge #Fail #notgonnahappen

#scissorchallenge #notsomuch

#toasterchallenge #nailedit

#fryingpanchallenge #likeaboss

#cuttingboardchallenge #yougotit

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Comments

Found your great blog searching for “firepit smoke”. Hope you don’t mind me thanking you for that post here since comments are closed on that one. Those things should be illegal in suburban/urban areas!
Also, thanks for the post mentioning the Venta Airwasher. We have a couple of HEPA’s and Aireox smoke filters. (Yes, we have a real stink bomb next door neighbor and there are pits and wood stoves/fireplaces in frequent use in the neighborhood – it is a real nightmare at times, especially during our Puget Sound inversions.)
I like the concept of the Venta, especially no filters to change. I’ll research that more. I’m hoping to move to the southwest, so the humidification feature might be helpful there, too.